Listen To Your Body

There is no one who knows your body, like you do.  When you tune into it, you can learn a lot more than any machine or doctor who just has you to listen to.

Over the years I have fought various injuries and pains in my training.  From tendonitis in my shoulders to a weird genetic thing that bothers my knees.  My physical therapists and chiropractors have been great in giving me the resources to help my problems, but it has always been me to know when there is an issued potentially when I can prevent major issues from coming up.  Part of listening to your body, is also knowing what to do when it's talking to you.

This morning I originally thought I had eaten too much at a party and wasn't going to run all that far, but then I started and this magical thing happened... I forgot all about my limits and knew that if I really wanted to, I could do a long run.  It was a beautiful day, the temperature and humidity had dropped, so why not?  Then my body reminded me why it might not be the smartest idea to just go...

At first it was my knee, which I had been able to run through in the past, but then that pain spread to my calves and felt like a shin splint threatening to develop.  So I had an inner battle all through mile 3, but decided to call it a day a little after mile 4 and calm my knees and legs down.  I figured I would relax, stretch, and let my legs recover and next week hit it hard again.

Gardening was a bit rough, but that was like doing a super long squat workout, but now my legs are feeling pretty well.  A little tight when I stretch, but not as bad as I feel like they could have been if I had pushed it more.  We'll really see if I made the right decision in the week to come...

Do I actually know if this feeling was going to develop into something worse?  Of course not, but it was a slightly painful feeling and I trust my body to give me these warning signs for a reason.  If it wasn't for learning to listen to my body I feel as though I could be a lot worse off than I am today... probably with knee surgery and what not having happened at far too young an age.

Trust yourself, only you know what's best for you

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

When I was back in California in July, I had gotten some new shoes.  I wore them for a while, but while running felt great, afterwards I could barely walk.  My IT band was absolutely killing me.  Being the naive runner I am, I just figured that it was me breaking in the shoes... How wrong I was.

I talked to one of the physical therapists that were at the Tower of Terror run and they pretty much hit the nail on the head without me saying all that much.  They brought up a few points that I had never thought about.  When I got the new shoes, they had put me on a treadmill and video taped me running. However, I was barefoot and not running all that long or fast.  So pretty much, the video picked up the extreme issues with my running, not the everyday issues.

So I got fitted for a stability shoe when I needed a neutral, which I had in the first place.  So pretty much, every time I ran, I was overcorrecting for issues that weren't really issues.  Now, I'm suffering for that.

The same physical therapist told me to get Asics Cumulus, which guess what... was my original (and favorite) shoe!  I quickly bought another pair and have been getting better ever since.  The recovery process has been slow, but luckily this week I've finally been able to walk for most of the day (not all, but most) correctly and without too much pain.  Still, my IT band isn't totally better and my endurance has been shot.

So yes, I'm worried right now.  I've been able to get the right shoes so I can jump back into training, but unfortunately I'm not back up to where I need to be.  My endurance is shot, but hopefully that will start building back up quickly.  The good news is my speed is still there.  In fact, I ran 7 miles today and the last mile can in under 10 min pace!  Not all of the miles were like that, but it was a nice note to finish on.

The marathon is in just under 3 months and I don't know if physically I'm truly ready for it.  Mentally, I'm ready to take it on.  Let's just hope that my mental determination is enough to get me through the race if I'm not able to get my training back on track.

It's Going To Be A Lazy Day...

It definitely didn't start as a lazy day, but the rest of it will be.  It's kind of sad I'm saying that and it's not even 10 AM yet!

I was able to get up and get out for a run just as the sun was coming up.  Florida's been pretty cool the last few days and I was completely ready to take advantage of it.  I got up without a goal in mind, tied my shoes, decided on the general route I wanted to take, and started to run.  I was out there for 1 hour 10 minutes and was able to run just over 7 miles.  My pace is definitely coming back, which I'm excited about, and when I do walk, I'm walking sub 16 minute miles.

I found myself getting into my running the farther I went.  My miles 3.5-6.5 were the best.  I just felt good and walked some, but not too much.  Eventually my calves started to get tighter and tighter.  They didn't stop me from running, but I didn't want to push them too far so I ended at 7 miles.

Here's the funniest thing though, my ankles actually hurt more when I'm walking normally than when I run.  Isn't that crazy? Running actually makes me feel better!

So now that my run is over, it's time for me to relax and enjoy my TWO days off!  Yes, that's right, after working 6-7 days a week for the last month and a half, I finally get two full days off!  I plan on taking advantage of them as well, and by that I mean relaxing and not worrying about anything...

Resting Through The Holidays

I was looking forward to running right through Christmas and New Years since I'd be staying at a Walt Disney World resort, but unfortunately life didn't agree with me.  

Earlier this week I twisted my ankle.  Appearance-wise, the only issue is that I have a pretty bad scrape on my knee (my dad likened it to road rash that bikers get when they fall).  Physically, my ankle has been sore for the past few days.  It's been getting better everyday though.  I found that walking on it actually made it feel better for a while.  I didn't let it stop me from living life (heck I still wore boots with a pretty good heel on them), but it did stop me from running for the week.

Luckily, I was walking... A LOT.  That got me a boost for the Holiday Booty Buster Challenge.  In fact, with all the walking I was doing I actually had one of my best weeks when it comes to the amount of points I earned.  Today, I got down to the gym at the hotel and got on the bike for a while.  Ended up making my knee a bit sore (probably cause by the scrape and hitting it on my fall), but overall it felt good to sweat again.  I also got some weights in there so I'm almost back to my normal routine.

My Christmas present to myself will be a day another day off of running followed by maybe a 1 or 2 miler.  Something short just to start working on strengthening my ankle again.